Klance AU Month 2019
by Ebhenah
Summary: A collection of stories written for Klance AU Month 2019 hosted by Monthly Klance on Tumblr.


Gross

Klance AU Month- Feb 1: Coffee Shop

(A Future Klance-Family fic)

"I don't like it here," Lucas grumbled, poking at the sodden mittens his Papi had draped over the heating vent.

"Stop picking at them let them dry," Lance sighed, pushing a literal bucket of cocoa across the table. Keith would grumble about portion size, but Keith hadn't had to try to entertain Lucas and Kashi all day and Lance was hoping sugar and chocolate overdosing the boys would buy him like… ten minutes of pleasantness. Please, God… just, TEN minutes! "Here you go, the biggest cocoas they had, with caramel syrup, extra whipped cream and chocolate shavings for Lucas…. And the same, but with hazelnut syrup and cinnamon instead for Kashi. And cafe con leche for me." He wrapped his cold hands around the mug and breathed in the heavenly smell.

"I don't like weather," Kashi said, "I like when the air doesn't have STUFF in it- snow, ice, water droplets… just… no."

"Yeah," Lucas jutted a thumb out toward his brother, "what he said! On the Atlas, it is never too cold, or too hot, there's never rain or… whatever THAT stuff is!"

"Sleet," Lance supplied, "that stuff is sleet… and I'm not a fan either."

"Why would Thace even WANT to go to college in a place where the AIR throws ICE in your face?" Kashi huffed. He was not a fan of his eldest brother moving away for college in the first place… which meant that neither was Lucas… and they'd both been SO vocal about it that when it came time to do campus tours, it quickly had been evident that the youngest pair of their five kids needed to be occupied elsewhere.

So, HIS day had been miserable. Fingers crossed that Keith had had better luck with Thace and the twins.

"This school has an EXCELLENT Engineering program," Lance reminded them.

"Better than apprenticing under Uncle Hunk on the Atlas?" scoffed Lucas.

"Yes… and even Hunk would say that. Hunk recommended this program to us in the first place."

"Boston sucks," Kashi muttered.

"No, it doesn't. Today was just… not a great day." Tweens would be the death of him. They really would. It was like his sons had lost the ability to feel joy if one of their parents was in the room. "We can't control the weather."

"You can on the ATLAS!"

"Lucas," he sighed, "we've talked about this…"

"No one has made a final decision but Thace deserves to have all the information before he does yadda yadda yadda…" Kashi pushed some whipped cream around with his spoon, looking for all the world like a tiny, sullen Keith (with a SENSIBLE haircut, thankyouverymuch). It took every scrap of willpower Lance possessed not to pinch his cheek. It was endearing how much the younger boys hated the idea of their big brother moving out. So endearing that he didn't have the heart to tell them that there was virtually no way Thace was going to decide to stay on the Atlas with them when the option was to live on campus WITH his long-term girlfriend.

Because his firstborn was 18 and in love and thought himself all grown up and ready to take on the world, and Lance couldn't say a peep, because when he was 18 and in love he was on the front lines of a war, pining for his teammate, and making far dumber decisions than Thace was likely to.

The bell at the door chimed and they were hit with a blast of cold air carrying the exhausted voice of his husband. "Would you three knock it off, already?! Rai, you don't get a vote on where Thace goes to school. Talia- we KNOW you are planning on Olkarion, stop bringing it up. Thace- weather is not a factor in your decision, understood?"

"But there is actual SLUSH falling out of the sky," Thace pointed out. "I don't want to live where the sky throws slush at me."

"It's sleet!" Lucas chimed helpfully, his mood vastly improved by Thace's apparent rejection of this school.

"Maybe Juanita LIKES sluuu-sleet," teased Talia, "what will you do then?"

"We'll have a conversation and make a decision together," replied Thace, "what are you going to do if Bailey doesn't want to move to a whole other galaxy for school?"

"Oh. My. God! Bailey and I are like baaaaaarely even dating! I'm not making any decisions about school based on a guy I am just like… kinda, sorta seeing."

"Uh-huh," mumbled Rai, "barely even dating… just fused at the mouth 24/7."

"What's this now?" Lance asked, prompting his daughter smack her twin and turn beet red.

"NOTHING!" She yelped, "I'll order the drinks! Thace come help me!"

Keith just shook his head at them as he pulled his gloves off and set them next to the boys' mittens on the heater. He was peeling out of his scarf when he caught Lance's eyes and smiled, tension melting out of his features. Lance's heart skipped a beat and his belly flipped and he felt his smile turn giddy from the look on his husband's face. "Hi," purred Keith, leaning in to kiss Lance gently as he sat in the chair beside him.

"Hi yourself," Lance answered as the kiss broke.

"GROSS!" chorused all five children.

"Ugh, save it for your 'naps', weirdos," drawled Rai, using finger quotes and rolling his eyes.

"Hey, knock it off," Lance countered, "that was just a little hello kiss… it could be soooo much worse…"

"I doubt it," mumbled Lucas.

"Ohhh was that…"

"No! No, it wasn't anything!" Kashi elbowed Lucas.

"Did I... did I hear someone…

"Nothing! He said nothing!" insisted Rai.

"No, no… I think I did!"

"Papi! No! I didn't!" squawked Lucas.

"Yeah, yeah… I DEFINITELY heard someone issue ME, Loverboy Lancey Lance Kogane, Pilot of the Red Lion, a challenge…"

Keith cackled, as the kids groaned, "now you've done it, boys. You know what he's like…"

Lance turned his chair, then yanked Keith's closer, "heya handsome."

"Hi, babe," Keith answered.

"You look cold," Lance observed, leaning close, "which seems impossible for someone as hot as you are."

"Kill me now," muttered Rai.

"This is YOUR fault," Kashi hissed to Lucas.

"You offering to warm me up if I am?" laughed Keith, his cheeks flushing.

"Oh, you know I am," he tangled his fingers with Keith's, "you've got really nice hands, did you know that?"

"Stop it," whimpered Lucas.

"So do you," Keith replied, rubbing his thumb across the back of Lance's hand. "Long fingers… like a musician."

"I do play a little guitar," he scooted even closer. "You're gorgeous… you look like you could be a rock star… little bit of a bad boy vibe going on."

Keith laughed, his eyes dancing, "I'm more of a martial arts kind of guy than a musical one."

"What… What is happening here?" Talia asked, her voice stunned.

"They were being gross," Kashi answered.

"Were? WERE?! This is ARE! They ARE being gross! Why are they STILL being gross?"

"Lucas," muttered Rai.

"That's really hot," Lance continued, "but I bet I could make you sing like a bird."

"MY EARS!" Thace yelped, "I can never unhear that!"

"Lucas? What. Did. You. DO?" Talia turned pointedly AWAY from her fathers, shielding her eyes with the coffee in her hands.

"Papi said they could be worse and Lucas said he doubted it," Rai explained.

"Nope!" She said setting Keith's coffee in front of him. "I'm not sitting with them. I'm sitting… uhh… over there. Bye!"

"Yeah, I'm joining you," Thace agreed, handing Rai his drink. "Have fun with… all that, guys."

"I hate them," Rai muttered.

"You sound pretty confident," laughed Keith, cheeks blazing now. He was happy to indulge Lance's competitive streak and make the kids squirm, because… well.. Payback, honestly. They'd been awful all day… and who the heck complains about their parents GETTING ALONG!?

"I do, don't I?" Lance grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

"OKAY YOU WIN!" squawked Lucas, "you were right! The kiss was nothing. This is way grosser. Stop! Please stop!"

"But… this is fun," pouted Lance.

"You won, Loverboy," chuckled his husband, "give the kids a break. You can flirt later when they aren't around."

Lance's expression brightened and he leaned in to kiss Keith's cheek, "promise?"

Keith rolled his eyes, "yes, I promise. Rai… go get your brother and sister… the little melodramatic pair of them."

Rai sighed, but left the table, and Lance gestured to the younger boys. "I have been informed that our sons do not like 'weather'."

"They don't, huh?" Keith wasn't sure where Lance was going with this.

"I think they've been spoiled by the climate controlled life aboard the Atlas," he explained.

"I don't like where this is going," whispered Kashi.

"Sooo, I'm thinking we should maybe trying living on the surface for a couple of years," he finished cheerfully, "and commute."

"You want to commute?" Keith confirmed.

"Yeah, I think it would be good for the kids."

"To the Atlas?"

He nodded.

"In orbit."

"The Lions can do it in no time flat."

"Everyday?"

"Mmhmm…"

"Lance that's…" he shook his head, "that would be a nightmare, babe!"

"What would be a nightmare?" Talia asked.

"Papi is talking about moving to the SURFACE," Kashi hissed.

"Like… Cuba? Cuba would be cool," Rai said, dropping into a chair, "I could work at the shop with Tio Luis after school."

"Ummm… Do I get a vote? Because I don't want to change schools!"

"No one is talking about changing schools," Keith assured her.

"Then how is he going to work at Tio Luis' shop?"

"We're moving? Why are we moving?"

"Woah- everyone calm down," Keith's voice cut through the din, "we are in public and getting loud. Not acceptable. Everyone sit. Papi had an IDEA. That is all. It's barely been mentioned let alone discussed or decided."

"But if it goes anywhere," Lance interjected, "we will have a family meeting and you will ALL have a chance to talk as much as you want about what you think of it. We are a team, and Team Kogane works together. Right?"

They all murmured their agreement, and settled into chairs, the table going quiet for a moment as the idea of leaving the Atlas bounced around. Talia's phone bleated and she pulled it out, the smile on her face when she saw the text betraying the sender. "Say hi to Baiiiii-leeee," crooned Lucas.

"Really, kid?" sighed Lance, "again? I'm telling you, youngest to youngest, you are going to REGRET giving them a hard time about the people they date when you start dating. Older siblings hold grudges. I promise you, this," he gestured at Talia and Thace, "whole thing you've got going on? It's going to kick you in the butt. Mark my words."

"He is speaking from experience," agreed Keith, "they gave him SUCH a hard time about Allura!"

"ALLURA!?" the children chorused.

"Way to blurt THAT out, Mullet," Lance muttered.

"Hold on," Talia tore her attention away from the phone, "you and Auntie Allura were a thing?"

"Not so much a thing, no," Lance sighed, "there was A date. One single date. That proved to both of us that we were not meant to be a couple."

"Then why did they give you a hard time?" asked Rai.

Lance glared at his husband, "I'm going to divorce you. I'm going to divorce you and this will be the reason. You understand that, right?"

"You don't scare me. You're not going to divorce me," Keith chuckled, "you threaten to divorce me every day. I'm immune to the divorce talk."

Lance gasped dramatically, clucking his tongue and shaking his head. "Just you watch me! DIVORCE!"

"Not gonna happen," Keith said calmly, "they gave him a hard time because of all the blushing and pining."

"Awww," cooed Thace, "how cyoooot! Papi had a CRUSH on the Princess!"

"Are you implying that Allura of Altea is NOT crush-worthy?" Lance asked.

"What?" Thace went pale, "I didn't say that! Please don't tell Auntie Allura I said that! Oh… GOD! Please don't tell CORAN I said that!"

"He had it BAD for Allura from the moment he met her," Keith supplied, ready to save Thace from his own panic.

"A literal Princess literally fell into my arms, and then told us we were destined to be heroes," Lance pointed out. "It was like something out of a fairytale."

"You've always been a hopeless romantic," Keith chuckled.

"By the time we got back to Earth I didn't see her that way anymore though. I'd just gotten used to the idea of being in love with her and it being hopeless…"

"But, you said you went on a date? And Dad said there was blushing."

"I don't remember saying your Papi was the one doing the blushing," tsked Keith.

"Yes. ONE date. She came to dinner with my family. We went for a walk. There was a very sweet kiss. It was a lovely date. I remember it fondly. But, mainly because it was what made Allura and I see each other clearly for the first time, which is why we can be such good friends now."

"What did YOU think of the whole date thing?" Talia asked Keith.

"Ohhhh, GOOD question!" Lance turned to smile at him, "I can't believe I never thought to ask you that!"

"I… wanted my friends to be happy. If that was with each other, then the important thing was that they were happy," Keith answered. "But… if they weren't… then I needed to smarten up and make some changes."

"Changes?" Rai echoed, "what kind of changes?"

"I…." Keith faltered.

Lance slipped his hand over Keith's, "he wasn't ready for a serious relationship then. He knew I wanted…. All this. Marriage. Kids. You guys. He did, too… he just didn't know HOW to make this work and had to figure it out."

"So… you guys were already in love when you went out with Allura?" Lucas asked.

"I don't think either of us had figured that out yet," Keith laughed.

"Kissing Allura made it pretty clear to me," Lance said, "I knew what it SHOULD feel like and it… was nice. Sweet… but not the same."

"The same?" Kashi narrowed his eyes, "you guys had ALREADY kissed!"

"How did we end up talking about this?" Keith asked no one in particular. "Guys, we were in space a long time. We didn't know we were falling in love, but that doesn't mean there wasn't interest. Okay?"

"But-"

"Hold up!" Lance laughed, "I will tell you guys the whole story, if you want me to… buuuuut I will remind you that you think us kissing each other hello is gross. So, be absolutely SURE you want to hear the answer before you ask any more questions about the two teenage boys we were back then. Okay? Okay."

"Eww," Lucas made a face. Rai and Thace blushed. Talia rolled her eyes, and Kashi was visibly debating whether he should ask something.

"No gross stuff… but if YOU knew after you kissed Allura," Kashi started, "when did YOU know?"

"When did I know I was in love with your Papi?" Keith clarified. Kashi nodded and he sat back, thinking. "I don't think I really had like a moment where I went 'oh, I love him'. For me, it was more like… he kept getting a little more important to me and then a little more and a little more… and eventually being able to offer what he deserved was more important than the stuff I was afraid of. It was easier to get myself together than it was to live without him. It was easier to stay than to go." He sighed, "I'm making myself sound really lazy. None of that stuff was EASY. It was REALLY hard to stop being afraid of getting left behind. It was REALLY hard to learn how to be part of a couple, and to work through the fights and the hurt feelings. All that was so much harder than anything I'd ever done. But being HAPPY with Lance was the easiest thing in the world… and NOT doing the other stuff? Like, staying away and not being with him, that was IMPOSSIBLE. Keeping people at a distance used to be easy for me, but I could NOT do that with him, so I had to figure out how to be close."

"Awwww, Mullet," Lance cooed, lifting Keith's hand to kiss his knuckles. "You never told me any of that."

"Okay, but WHEN," Kashi asked again, exasperated, "when's the FIRST time you remember knowing that you were in love with Papi?"

"In the Quantum Abyss," Keith said after a moment, "that's when I knew it wasn't just an interest… when it could be something real. When I didn't know if I would ever see the others again, and how much MORE it hurt to think that I'd never see Lance again… Yeah. That's when I knew something had changed."

"So… you completely changed who you were, for a guy?" Talia asked, "aren't you always telling us NOT to do that?"

"He didn't change who he was," Lance said quickly, "he is still the same hot-headed, stubborn, brave, awkward, loyal, quick-thinking, introverted, amazing guy he always was. He just faced his fears and dealt with the shit that was holding him back. He COULD do that because of who he really is. If you find someone who makes you want to face your fears and slog through the darkest parts of you to be with them, we'll support that. That is NOT the same as pretending to like American football and hate ACTUAL football, or not talking about being Cuban, or doing things you know are wrong to impress someone."

"Okay, okay," she rolled her eyes, "geez!"

"So… when did you actually get together?" Lucas asked, "like, officially."

"Our very first official date was the second of April before my twentieth birthday," Lance said with certainty.

"It would have been the first, but he didn't want to risk it being a prank," explained Keith.

"And then you dated for how long?" asked Kashi.

"We got engaged that December… he proposed at the ice skating rink- you guys know that story," Lance supplied, "and we were engaged a year and a half before the wedding."

"That's not that long. Juanita and I have been together longer than that," Thace mused.

"Don't even think about using us as some kind of relationship planner," Keith laughed, "I was stuck on a Space Whale for two years, then we all jumped ahead three… and we were a mess in the beginning. You and Juanita set your own pace. There's no rush."

"Any last questions?" Lance asked, "I promise, I'll answer ANYTHING you ask me…" He waited a moment and when no one spoke up and he was greeted with assorted variations on a head shake he polished off his coffee, "alright. Good. Now, Thace, what was your FAVORITE thing about the campus?"

"My favorite?" Thace thought for a moment, blue eyes flashing, "the robotics lab. They had tech there that was amazing. So much more variety than what we have on the Atlas!"

"Really?" Talia interjected, "I thought you were all about library, with that interactive study support program?"

"Yeah, that was pretty impressive, too." He launched into a description of the holographic tutors and test prep programs the library offered. Which led to a discussion of how the engineering programs were structured and what he liked and didn't like about them. Before long the entire family was debating the pros and cons of the school. Keith went quiet, watching the most important people in the world to him laugh and talk and argue. His kids. His husband. Before long, Thace would be out on his own. Then the twins would be off to face the world. Even Kashi and Lucas were barrelling toward adulthood far too fast.

He stood heading to the counter to get a fresh round of drinks, because his brood of extroverts (and Rai, his sole introverted kid) would be hashing this out for a while, and the weather outside was anything but inviting.

"Excuse me?"

He turned, blinking in surprise when he realized that the person speaking to him was Galra, "yes?"

Her yellow eyes widened and her fluffy ears flattened slightly, "I'm sorry to disturb you… You are the Black Paladin, yes?"

"Yeah," he answered with a smile, "I am. Can I help you?"

"I just…" she sighed, "I wanted to thank you. My father… he was a Blade of Marmora. I know you… you helped Kolivan after… everything. I never thought I'd get the chance… just… thank-you. Thank-you for making sure the Blades weren't forgotten."

"You don't need to thank me for that," he said in a rush, "the Blades were, to a man, among the strongest, bravest, most honorable men and women I have ever had the privilege of knowing. They deserve to be remembered and honored. I named my son after a Blade who sacrificed himself for me, for the mission. Without his work, his selflessness, we never would have been able to defeat Zarkon." He nodded to the table, "the tall one with the brown hair, his name is Thace."

"Thace?" she echoed, "his name is Thace?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, "we're touring colleges right now. He graduates in the spring. Oh… oh no… are you crying?" He grabbed a napkin from the counter for her.

She blotted at her eyes, nodding. "It's alright… I'm fine… I just…" She took a shuddery breath and pulled out what he recognized as a Galran holo-locket and pressed it into his hand. "Look. This is my father." He did as she asked, triggering the little projector. The light flickered for a moment, it must have taken damage somewhere along the way because the image glitched and blinked out before coming into focus. A handsome, familiar face appeared before him and time froze. His eyes flicked back to the woman, connecting her features to the hologram in front of him. He pulled her into a hug, "he was a great man. A GREAT man. A true hero." Releasing her he cleared his throat. "Please… PLEASE come meet my family. They would be so honored."

He bustled her over to the table of people quietly but animatedly discussing… cafeteria food, at the moment and rested his hand on Lance's shoulder to get his attention. "Guys… your Dad has someone for you to meet," Lance said, his voice serious enough that they all fell silent.

"Everyone… this is… oh, I never got YOUR name, I'm so sorry!"

She laughed awkwardly, waving off his concern, "I'm Dai'sa. My name is Dai'sa."

"Dai'sa," he repeated, "this is my husband Lance, the Red Paladin, and our children. That's Lucas, by the window. Then the one that looks like me is Kashi. This is Talia, and her twin brother Rai… and this… this is Thace. Everyone, Dai'sa's father was a Blade of Marmora."

They fell over each other to offer their condolences and gratitude. Lance made a point of standing and shaking Dai'sa's hand, repeating that the Blade is a family, and so she should consider them to be family, as well and generally being his charming, gracious self.

"Did you know her Dad?" Kashi asked after a moment.

"I… uh… I did, actually," Keith answered, "he saved my life. We named your brother after him."

"Thace?" Lance asked, astounded, "your father was Thace?"

She nodded, "did you know him, too?"

He shook his head, "no, I never got that honor. But I know he was a hero. He saved… thousands of lives, millions possibly. I am so sorry that the war took him from you. If you EVER need anything of us. Of Voltron, the Paladins, or… just… us… the Koganes. Please do not hesitate to ask."

"Uh.. thank-you. Thank-you."

"Hey, chiquito, come say hi," he waved his son over. Thace was tall and long-limbed, like Lance and his sister Rachel, who'd carried him, but broader through the shoulders and a bit bulkier. He looked like the McClains, with his softly curled brown hair, blue eyes, and coppery skin, but you could see Keith in the shape of his eyes, the quirk of his smile, and in the way he moved and spoke.

"I'm Thace Kogane," he said softly, "it is such an honor to meet you. To meet another child of the Blade… but YOU specifically, too. I want you to know, I am VERY proud of the name I carry. I am proud to be Galra, even if I am only one quarter Galra. I know I have very big shoes to fill, I hope I can live up to the legacy of the name I carry. I hope I can make you proud."

"Thank-you," she repeated, laughing and blotting at her eyes, "I feel like I have been saying nothing but that since I approached!"

"Well, you should stop," Talia interjected, "because we are the ones thanking you… and we've all done that. So, how about, instead of us all tripping over one another in gratitude, you join us for a coffee and tell us all about the great man that brought us together?"

"Please," Keith said, gesturing to an empty chair.

"Oh, no! I couldn't possibly intrude! You are with your family!"

"The Blade IS a family," Kashi insisted.

"There is plenty of room," added Rai.

"Alright… if you insist…" Lance nodded to assure her that, yes, they really did and she took a seat. Keith hurried back to the counter, paying for Dai'sa's order as well as his family's and collected the tray that held all the drinks. He settled into his seat, clasping Lance's hand in his own. Thace's daughter. He'd had no idea that such a person even existed, but he could see the resemblance.

Lucas looked over at his parents and rolled his eyes, "thanks for joining us Dai'sa… you being here might actually keep them from being gross!"


End file.
